The Agreement which was concluded between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany on September 10, 1952, and went into force on March 27, 1953, is in some ways unique in the history of diplomacy. It is a treaty between two states which do not entertain diplomatic relations and do not even intend to establish such relations for the purpose of carrying into effect their mutual contractual undertakings. Furthermore, it is a treaty between states of which one was not in existence as a state and the other was not yet constituted in its present legal form when the events giving rise to the payment of reparations occurred. These are the somewhat unusual circumstances in which the Agreement was concluded, and they must be borne in mind when considering some of its features which, at first sight, might seem strange. A short account of the history preceding its conclusion may therefore be of assistance in providing the correct perspective.

“The treaty-making power is an extraordinary power liable to abuse. Treaties make international law and also they make domestic law. Under our Constitution treaties become the supreme law of the land. They are indeed more supreme than ordinary laws, for congressional laws are invalid if they do not conform to the Constitution, whereas treaty law can override the Constitution. Treaties, for example, can take powers away from the Congress and give them to the President; they can take powers from the States and give them to the Federal Government or to some international body, and they can cut across the rights given the people by their constitutional Bill of Rights.”

Tibet has recently been invaded by Communist China and deprived of independence. The Mao Tse-Tung government justifies the invasion by China’s claim to suzerainty over Tibet, though the latter, before finally disappearing from the international scene, had again and again denied that she was still a vassal of China.

The 150,000 radio amateurs of the world today operate on groups of frequencies and under broad regulatory measures determined by the international radio conference and implemented in considerable detail by the various national administrations comprising the international community.

The question of undertaking preparatory work for a possible revision of the Charter of the United Nations was considered at some length by the General Assembly at its eighth session. It aroused widespread interest particularly in view of the provisions of Article 109, paragraph 3, of the Charter, which provides that the proposal to convene a general conference for the purpose of reviewing the Charter shall be placed on the agenda of the tenth annual session of the General Assembly if such a conference has not been held before that session.

Article 71 of the United Nations Charter provides that the Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organizations which are concerned with matters within its competence.